is Humidity Necessary?

[TheCluelessClown]

I was wondering if humidity was THAT necessary?
I read somewhere as long as the cham is hydrated well and the humidity does not drop extremely low, it is not necessary to have it constantly at 50-80 for veileds. Is this correct?

 

[Olimpia]

It's less necessarily in certain species, and under certain conditions, yes. I would argue that if you had a veiled and provided lots or lengthy misting sessions where the chameleon had plenty of chances to wash out their eyes, get their skin wet, etc., it wouldn't matter very much if your humidity dropped to 20-30% sometimes throughout the day. Especially because they are getting nice big spikes and plenty of wetness at various points during the day.

That said, having live plants in the cage and covering up the 3 back walls of the cage in something like plastic will make a big difference in keeping humidity a little higher and more stable, especially in combination with frequent misting.

 

[ChamMan7]

I completely agree with Olimpia, and also as she said, it can definitely vary from species to species. Constantly high humidy is not always a very good thing as it can lead to some health issues. Those numbers are given mostly as a guideline to give you an idea of what is normal for them, but it should by no means be constant (in my opinion.) It just isnt thatttt natural, either.

 

[ChamMan7]

If you are noticing things like flakey, or stuck shed, however, they are most likely having issues with humidity.

 

[TheCluelessClown]

oh alright Thanks guys for the clarification

 

[Carlton]

oh alright Thanks guys for the clarification

Lower humidity can be a problem if your cham doesn't have a chance to drink enough during the day. Chams are not very efficient at conserving body moisture...evolving in humid climates didn't require it. But, if your cage sits at lower humidity levels most of the time (the average human house is pretty dry...we don't like indoor saunas or mildewy closets and even 60% humidity is relatively high) he can lose ground fairly fast just through respiration. So, keep a careful eye out for early signs of dehydration just in case. Orange urates, defecating less and less often, hard sheds, skin tenting, being very thirsty whenever you offer water, producing lots of clear strings of saliva while drinking are all signs to watch for.

 

[Psychobunny]

If you want them to stay healthy and alive, yes.
As mentioned, depends on the species.

Montanes, for example, are harder to keep hydrated.

Yemens, on the other hand, may only require a few mistings (and dripper) a day depending
on room RH, etc.
They will get much of their water from the veggies and fruit they eat.

Don't forget, when RH goes down in winter, and fewer misting, give them horn or silkworms.
They are mostly water.

 

[bradley]

At first when i got my first yemen male I would monitor humidity everyday thinking it needed to be high throughout the day. Now I know a few spikes each day will do the trick. I also use a big dripper which runs each day so the chameleon can freely drink whenever it wishes. I now rarely monitor humidity because I know it peaks three times a day with the automatic mister.

If the chameleon has good urates, full eyes and sheds well humidity should be reaching good levels for them.

 

[TheCluelessClown]

Alright thanks again all for the info.

I have a veiled chameleon and the humidity sits around 45 normally but I have cool mist humidifier and mist 2 times a day with a dripper running most of the day. His poop is pretty white as it gets with no signs of dehydration. Only thing is I dont know how dry "dry" is (skin-wise). He eats normally and nibbles on my pothos plant once in a while.

edit: oh and I have a all screen cage with only ONE side covered

 

[Carlton]

Alright thanks again all for the info.

I have a veiled chameleon and the humidity sits around 45 normally but I have cool mist humidifier and mist 2 times a day with a dripper running most of the day. His poop is pretty white as it gets with no signs of dehydration. Only thing is I dont know how dry "dry" is (skin-wise). He eats normally and nibbles on my pothos plant once in a while.

edit: oh and I have a all screen cage with only ONE side covered

Dry skin leads to difficult shedding. He doesn't want to have moist skin like an amphibian, but it should be supple and not wrinkly.